A stunning new poster for Andor season 2, with marketing focusing on the close relationship between this second season and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That includes quite a few scenes of Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic, who played a key role in constructing the Death Star, and who looks increasingly important now.

Mendelsohn's significance is underlined by a new Andor season 2 poster, released by Lucasfilm. This uses a standard yin-yang construction, showing the heroes of the nascent Rebel Alliance on the one side, and the villains of the Empire on the other. Crucially, Mendelsohn is placed directly opposite Cassian Andor himself, suggesting he's the main villain.

Why Is Orson Krennic So Important In Andor Season 2?

Lucasfilm didn't exactly keep Mendelsohn's return a secret; we knew about it long before marketing kicked off for Andor season 2. What we didn't expect, though, was quite how prominent he'd become; it's now clear he's the main antagonist. That suggests Cassian Andor is working to undermine the Imperial special weapons projects that Krennic ran, not just the Death Star's construction.

This fits with other teases from the various Andor season 2 that had shown Cassian stealing a prototype TIE Avenger. Action figures have confirmed Cassian breaks into the Sienar Advanced Projects Laboratory to "liberate" this prototype from the Empire. We know the TIE Avenger program was a rival to the Death Star, with Krennic's project swallowing up funds. It looks as though we're about to see more of this exciting story.

Our Take On Orson Krennic's Return

Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic was one of the highlights of Rogue One; the actor himself clearly loved being in Star Wars, even voicing a younger Krennic in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. His story is explored in much greater detail in some of the impressive transmedia tie-ins for Rogue One, including James Luceno's phenomenal novel Catalyst, and it will be thrilling to see Krennic take on such a central role. He'll also make a worthy antagonist for Cassian himself - not least because of the Death Star connection.

I love the idea that Cassian has (perhaps unwittingly) become Krennic's true nemesis, perhaps always on the cusp of discovering the truth - right up until Rogue One's opening scene, when he learns of the Death Star. The whole story of Cassian Andor is becoming even more poetic and powerful, testament to the skillful writing of showrunner Tony Gilroy. I can't wait to see what other surprises Andor season 2 has in store.